How To Close All Windows On Mac

How To Close Finder Mac
How To Minimize All Windows On Mac
How To Close All Windows On Mac At Once
How To Close All Windows On Mac With Keyboard

To use a keyboard shortcut, press and hold one or more modifier keys and then press the last key of the shortcut. For example, to use Command-C (copy), press and hold the Command key, then the C key, then release both keys. Mac menus and keyboards often use symbols for certain keys, including modifier keys:

On keyboards made for Windows PCs, use the Alt key instead of Option, and the Windows logo key instead of Command.

Some keys on some Apple keyboards have special symbols and functions, such as for display brightness , keyboard brightness , Mission Control, and more. If these functions aren't available on your keyboard, you might be able to reproduce some of them by creating your own keyboard shortcuts. To use these keys as F1, F2, F3, or other standard function keys, combine them with the Fn key.

With the app/Finder open, click on File from the top menu. Now, press the Option/Alt key on your Mac keyboard. You should notice that the Close option changes to Close All. Click on Close All and all the windows will be quit/closed. Sleep, log out, and shut down shortcuts. Power button: Press to turn on your Mac or wake it from sleep. Press and hold for 1.5 seconds to put your Mac to sleep. Continue holding to force. Option–Command–Power button. or Option–Command–Media Eject: Put your Mac to sleep.

Cut, copy, paste, and other common shortcuts

Command-X: Cut the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard.
Command-C: Copy the selected item to the Clipboard. This also works for files in the Finder.
Command-V: Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the current document or app. This also works for files in the Finder.
Command-Z: Undo the previous command. You can then press Shift-Command-Z to Redo, reversing the undo command. In some apps, you can undo and redo multiple commands.
Command-A: Select All items.
Command-F: Find items in a document or open a Find window.
Command-G: Find Again: Find the next occurrence of the item previously found. To find the previous occurrence, press Shift-Command-G.
Command-H: Hide the windows of the front app. To view the front app but hide all other apps, press Option-Command-H.
Command-M: Minimize the front window to the Dock. To minimize all windows of the front app, press Option-Command-M.
Command-O: Open the selected item, or open a dialog to select a file to open.
Command-P: Print the current document.
Command-S: Save the current document.
Command-T: Open a new tab.
Command-W: Close the front window. To close all windows of the app, press Option-Command-W.
Option-Command-Esc: Force quit an app.
Command–Space bar: Show or hide the Spotlight search field. To perform a Spotlight search from a Finder window, press Command–Option–Space bar. (If you use multiple input sources to type in different languages, these shortcuts change input sources instead of showing Spotlight. Learn how to change a conflicting keyboard shortcut.)
Control–Command–Space bar: Show the Character Viewer, from which you can choose emoji and other symbols.
Control-Command-F: Use the app in full screen, if supported by the app.
Space bar: Use Quick Look to preview the selected item.
Command-Tab: Switch to the next most recently used app among your open apps.
Shift-Command-5: In macOS Mojave or later, take a screenshot or make a screen recording. Or use Shift-Command-3 or Shift-Command-4 for screenshots. Learn more about screenshots.
Shift-Command-N: Create a new folder in the Finder.
Command-Comma (,): Open preferences for the front app.

Sleep, log out, and shut down shortcuts

You might need to press and hold some of these shortcuts for slightly longer than other shortcuts. This helps you to avoid using them unintentionally.

Power button: Press to turn on your Mac or wake it from sleep. Press and hold for 1.5 seconds to put your Mac to sleep.* Continue holding to force your Mac to turn off.
Option–Command–Power button* or Option–Command–Media Eject : Put your Mac to sleep.
Control–Shift–Power button* or Control–Shift–Media Eject : Put your displays to sleep.
Control–Power button* or Control–Media Eject : Display a dialog asking whether you want to restart, sleep, or shut down.
Control–Command–Power button:* Force your Mac to restart, without prompting to save any open and unsaved documents.
Control–Command–Media Eject : Quit all apps, then restart your Mac. If any open documents have unsaved changes, you will be asked whether you want to save them.
Control–Option–Command–Power button* or Control–Option–Command–Media Eject : Quit all apps, then shut down your Mac. If any open documents have unsaved changes, you will be asked whether you want to save them.
Control-Command-Q: Immediately lock your screen.
Shift-Command-Q: Log out of your macOS user account. You will be asked to confirm. To log out immediately without confirming, press Option-Shift-Command-Q.

* Does not apply to the Touch ID sensor.

Finder and system shortcuts

Command-D: Duplicate the selected files.
Command-E: Eject the selected disk or volume.
Command-F: Start a Spotlight search in the Finder window.
Command-I: Show the Get Info window for a selected file.
Command-R: (1) When an alias is selected in the Finder: show the original file for the selected alias. (2) In some apps, such as Calendar or Safari, refresh or reload the page. (3) In Software Update preferences, check for software updates again.
Shift-Command-C: Open the Computer window.
Shift-Command-D: Open the desktop folder.
Shift-Command-F: Open the Recents window, showing all of the files you viewed or changed recently.
Shift-Command-G: Open a Go to Folder window.
Shift-Command-H: Open the Home folder of the current macOS user account.
Shift-Command-I: Open iCloud Drive.
Shift-Command-K: Open the Network window.
Option-Command-L: Open the Downloads folder.
Shift-Command-N: Create a new folder.
Shift-Command-O: Open the Documents folder.
Shift-Command-P: Show or hide the Preview pane in Finder windows.
Shift-Command-R: Open the AirDrop window.
Shift-Command-T: Show or hide the tab bar in Finder windows.
Control-Shift-Command-T: Add selected Finder item to the Dock (OS X Mavericks or later)
Shift-Command-U: Open the Utilities folder.
Option-Command-D: Show or hide the Dock.
Control-Command-T: Add the selected item to the sidebar (OS X Mavericks or later).
Option-Command-P: Hide or show the path bar in Finder windows.
Option-Command-S: Hide or show the Sidebar in Finder windows.
Command–Slash (/): Hide or show the status bar in Finder windows.
Command-J: Show View Options.
Command-K: Open the Connect to Server window.
Control-Command-A: Make an alias of the selected item.
Command-N: Open a new Finder window.
Option-Command-N: Create a new Smart Folder.
Command-T: Show or hide the tab bar when a single tab is open in the current Finder window.
Option-Command-T: Show or hide the toolbar when a single tab is open in the current Finder window.
Option-Command-V: Move the files in the Clipboard from their original location to the current location.
Command-Y: Use Quick Look to preview the selected files.
Option-Command-Y: View a Quick Look slideshow of the selected files.
Command-1: View the items in the Finder window as icons.
Command-2: View the items in a Finder window as a list.
Command-3: View the items in a Finder window in columns.
Command-4: View the items in a Finder window in a gallery.
Command–Left Bracket ([): Go to the previous folder.
Command–Right Bracket (]): Go to the next folder.
Command–Up Arrow: Open the folder that contains the current folder.
Command–Control–Up Arrow: Open the folder that contains the current folder in a new window.
Command–Down Arrow: Open the selected item.
Right Arrow: Open the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
Left Arrow: Close the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
Command-Delete: Move the selected item to the Trash.
Shift-Command-Delete: Empty the Trash.
Option-Shift-Command-Delete: Empty the Trash without confirmation dialog.
Command–Brightness Down: Turn video mirroring on or off when your Mac is connected to more than one display.
Option–Brightness Up: Open Displays preferences. This works with either Brightness key.
Control–Brightness Up or Control–Brightness Down: Change the brightness of your external display, if supported by your display.
Option–Shift–Brightness Up or Option–Shift–Brightness Down: Adjust the display brightness in smaller steps. Add the Control key to this shortcut to make the adjustment on your external display, if supported by your display.
Option–Mission Control: Open Mission Control preferences.
Command–Mission Control: Show the desktop.
Control–Down Arrow: Show all windows of the front app.
Option–Volume Up: Open Sound preferences. This works with any of the volume keys.
Option–Shift–Volume Up or Option–Shift–Volume Down: Adjust the sound volume in smaller steps.
Option–Keyboard Brightness Up: Open Keyboard preferences. This works with either Keyboard Brightness key.
Option–Shift–Keyboard Brightness Up or Option–Shift–Keyboard Brightness Down: Adjust the keyboard brightness in smaller steps.
Option key while double-clicking: Open the item in a separate window, then close the original window.
Command key while double-clicking: Open a folder in a separate tab or window.
Command key while dragging to another volume: Move the dragged item to the other volume, instead of copying it.
Option key while dragging: Copy the dragged item. The pointer changes while you drag the item.
Option-Command while dragging: Make an alias of the dragged item. The pointer changes while you drag the item.
Option-click a disclosure triangle: Open all folders within the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
Command-click a window title: See the folders that contain the current folder.
Learn how to use Command or Shift to select multiple items in the Finder.
Click the Go menu in the Finder menu bar to see shortcuts for opening many commonly used folders, such as Applications, Documents, Downloads, Utilities, and iCloud Drive.

Document shortcuts

The behavior of these shortcuts may vary with the app you're using.

Command-B: Boldface the selected text, or turn boldfacing on or off.
Command-I: Italicize the selected text, or turn italics on or off.
Command-K: Add a web link.
Command-U: Underline the selected text, or turn underlining on or off.
Command-T: Show or hide the Fonts window.
Command-D: Select the Desktop folder from within an Open dialog or Save dialog.
Control-Command-D: Show or hide the definition of the selected word.
Shift-Command-Colon (:): Display the Spelling and Grammar window.
Command-Semicolon (;): Find misspelled words in the document.
Option-Delete: Delete the word to the left of the insertion point.
Control-H: Delete the character to the left of the insertion point. Or use Delete.
Control-D: Delete the character to the right of the insertion point. Or use Fn-Delete.
Fn-Delete: Forward delete on keyboards that don't have a Forward Delete key. Or use Control-D.
Control-K: Delete the text between the insertion point and the end of the line or paragraph.
Fn–Up Arrow: Page Up: Scroll up one page.
Fn–Down Arrow: Page Down: Scroll down one page.
Fn–Left Arrow: Home: Scroll to the beginning of a document.
Fn–Right Arrow: End: Scroll to the end of a document.
Command–Up Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the document.
Command–Down Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the document.
Command–Left Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the current line.
Command–Right Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the current line.
Option–Left Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
Option–Right Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the next word.
Shift–Command–Up Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the document.
Shift–Command–Down Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the document.
Shift–Command–Left Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the current line.
Shift–Command–Right Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the current line.
Shift–Up Arrow: Extend text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line above.
Shift–Down Arrow: Extend text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line below.
Shift–Left Arrow: Extend text selection one character to the left.
Shift–Right Arrow: Extend text selection one character to the right.
Option–Shift–Up Arrow: Extend text selection to the beginning of the current paragraph, then to the beginning of the following paragraph if pressed again.
Option–Shift–Down Arrow: Extend text selection to the end of the current paragraph, then to the end of the following paragraph if pressed again.
Option–Shift–Left Arrow: Extend text selection to the beginning of the current word, then to the beginning of the following word if pressed again.
Option–Shift–Right Arrow: Extend text selection to the end of the current word, then to the end of the following word if pressed again.
Control-A: Move to the beginning of the line or paragraph.
Control-E: Move to the end of a line or paragraph.
Control-F: Move one character forward.
Control-B: Move one character backward.
Control-L: Center the cursor or selection in the visible area.
Control-P: Move up one line.
Control-N: Move down one line.
Control-O: Insert a new line after the insertion point.
Control-T: Swap the character behind the insertion point with the character in front of the insertion point.
Command–Left Curly Bracket ({): Left align.
Command–Right Curly Bracket (}): Right align.
Shift–Command–Vertical bar ( ): Center align.
Option-Command-F: Go to the search field.
Option-Command-T: Show or hide a toolbar in the app.
Option-Command-C: Copy Style: Copy the formatting settings of the selected item to the Clipboard.
Option-Command-V: Paste Style: Apply the copied style to the selected item.
Option-Shift-Command-V: Paste and Match Style: Apply the style of the surrounding content to the item pasted within that content.
Option-Command-I: Show or hide the inspector window.
Shift-Command-P: Page setup: Display a window for selecting document settings.
Shift-Command-S: Display the Save As dialog, or duplicate the current document.
Shift–Command–Minus sign (-): Decrease the size of the selected item.
Shift–Command–Plus sign (+): Increase the size of the selected item. Command–Equal sign (=) performs the same function.
Shift–Command–Question mark (?): Open the Help menu.

Other shortcuts

For more shortcuts, check the shortcut abbreviations shown in the menus of your apps. Every app can have its own shortcuts, and shortcuts that work in one app might not work in another.

Apple Music shortcuts: Choose Help > Keyboard shortcuts from the menu bar in the Music app.
Other shortcuts: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Shortcuts.

Learn more

Create your own shortcuts and resolve conflicts between shortcuts
Change the behavior of the function keys or modifier keys

How To Close Finder Mac

Ok, I get it. There is no equivalent to the PC’s Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut on a Mac® to force quit an application. So how do I quit that annoying program that’s not responding?

Luckily, Apple® has you covered and gives you multiple options. The shortcut actually exists, and moreover, there are a few other extremely convenient ways to fight buggy apps. Today I’m going to list three easy ways to force-quit an application on a Mac, without harming the system.

Let’s dive in!

Is it Safe to Force Quit?

Forcing a frozen application to quit is the same as killing the symptoms when we get sick versus curing the virus. We need to see the bigger picture and understand what causes the problem and how to cure it while understanding how to avoid it from happening again.

The number one reason we have a problem with frozen applications in a Mac is insufficient RAM—or, in other words, a lack of computer memory to operate the system compared to the number of applications you usually open (including those numerous open tabs in a browser). So anytime your system utilizes all of its existing resourses to run the task, it becomes unresponsive. Think of RAM like a physical workbench. The more space (memory) you have to work, the more projects you can have out to work on. Less space? Less ability to work on multiple things at once.

Forcing Mac to quit the application does resolve the problem but may have downsides. When you close an application in the traditional manner, it will clean everything it runs in the background and alert you to save the work. When you force close on Mac, you may end up losing files and data, or mess things up on the drive. Although the effect will only be related to that one particular application that got stuck, sometimes it can hurt.

Using a smart app like Parallels Toolbox can help you to free up unused memory on the fly and prevent the applications from getting frozen over and over again. The package includes over 30+ useful apps for everyday needs that any Mac user will benefit from, including downloading videos and music from sites like YouTube, taking screenshot or record videos, optimize your Mac performance, free up extra space and so much more.

You can download Toolbox and try it out for free here (no registration needed).

1. Force Quit Using the Apple Menu

The most conventional and effective way to close frozen programs is to go to the macOS® menu bar, located along the top of the screen in the Finder menu.

To force quit an application, simply do the following:

Click on the black apple icon in the upper-left corner.
From the drop-down menu, select “Force Quit…”. You will be directed to the new window named “Force Quit Application” where all the magic happens.
Now all you have to do is select the application you want to close and choose “Force Quit.”

If you don’t know which application is stuck, pay attention to the ones that have the note “Not Responding.” This usually appears next to frozen applications.

2. Force Quit with Mac Shortcut

To do the same thing but faster, use Mac shortcut keys to close frozen applications.

On your keyboard, press and hold Command + Option + Esc. It will immediately bring up a “Force Quit Application” window.
Select the frozen application from the dialogue box and select “Force Quit.”

This could be your go-to method if the mouse or trackpad is lagging.

3. Close Application from Activity Monitor (Ctrl+Alt+Del Alternative)

Here’s the pinnacle of this article.

Very few Apple owners know that macOS provides an almost identical alternative to the traditional PC Control+Alt+Delete shortcut—and does it better. Yes, we all know that in Windows that keyboard shortcut is often used to open the Task Manager window. (To be honest, it’s needed too often, which is why we’re on a Mac.) From Task Manager, you can track applications, services, performance, and processes, and kill some of them when they’re unresponsive.

How To Minimize All Windows On Mac

You can easily do all of that and more on the macOS native application called Activity Monitor.

To kill an application using Activity Monitor, do the following.

1. On your keyboard, press Command + Space, or click on Spotlight in the top-right corner of the screen.

2. In the “Spotlight Search” window, start typing “Activity Monitor.”

3. Once Activity Monitor is highlighted, hit Enter.

4. In the Activity Monitor processes list, select the application you want to quit and click “Force a process to quit” in the left corner.

What to Do If Force Quit Isn’t Working?

If all the applications stop responding and you can’t quit them using one of the methods described above, you can force your Mac to restart. To do so, press and hold the Control+Command+Power buttons.

Alternatively, you can force Mac to shut down by pressing and holding the power button, or use one of the many other shortcuts.

What’s the Solution?

Since your Mac doesn’t have enough space to run all those applications you need, the most obvious step would be to increase the RAM. If you own an iMac® or the older generation of MacBook Pro®, you can simply buy memory and upgrade your existing computer. With the new Mac generation, you don’t have that option anymore because the RAM is glued and soldered to the motherboard. You either buy a new computer or struggle.

Alternatively, you can clean your memory to free up space using Parallels® Toolbox. Parallels designed a tool set for macOS and PC users to efficiently manage their computer with just a few clicks—without any professional knowledge needed. Within the application (which is available to try for free), you can easily free up unused computer memory, clean your drive, and help your Mac run at max speed with a dozen other useful utilities.

How To Close All Windows On Mac At Once

If you’re interested in learning how easily one click can save precious disk space, check out how much space I took back with the Parallels Toolbox tool Clean Drive:

In one click (and about 10 seconds), I successfully removed 4 GB of clutter and reclaimed space on my hard drive.

How To Close All Windows On Mac With Keyboard

So there you have it. Take care of your Mac with those quick tips, and remember to always save your work!